


A Moment with the Director

by Not_You



Series: Clockwork Souls [1]
Category: Prometheus (2012), The Avengers (2012)
Genre: EVERYBODY IS ROBOTS OK, Fury takes care of his people, Gen, Phil is a Fanboy, Robot Feels, Robots
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-19
Updated: 2012-11-19
Packaged: 2017-11-19 00:38:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,458
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/567086
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Not_You/pseuds/Not_You
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For a kinkmeme prompt, inspired by the 'Happy Birthday David' Prometheus marketing video.  All the Avengers are different makes of android.  Fury is the director of SHIELD, the company that makes them, and has come down to meet the new prototypes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Moment with the Director

Nick knows he should delegate more, but looking at the new prototypes isn't one of those tasks. They've got human names since it's easier to remember than the string of numbers that actually indicates each one in the manufacturing records, and he lets Phil take him down the line.

"So, I did what I could about slimming down the bodyguard model and upgrading the brain enough for it to serve as an escort or PA as well, but he might still be a little temperamental for your average buyer."

"Hn." Nick reaches around, pushing the switch in the back of the dark-haired unit's neck.

"Hey, mind the merch- Oh, hi Director." Nick stands back, studying the expressive face with its dark eyes. The android winks at him. "Guess you can touch it all you want."

"This is the default?"

"I told you meshing the circuits had had some odd effects."

"Hey, 'sexual partner' is one of my possible uses, and you know machines love what we do."

"I suppose the sense of purpose is nice," Nick murmurs.

"Bet your ass. Your skin tone is really attractive, do I come in that?"

"And several others," Phil tells him, "we're just playing to a prejudicial market."

"Ah, yes." He grimaces. "More of that unlogic shit you guys do."

Phil smiles, patting the unit's cheek. "We can't all have your clarity."

"Alas." He grins, and holds a hand out to Fury. "Tony. Pleased to meet the meat at last."

"He hooked himself up to the company intranet when I wasn't looking, sir," Phil says apologetically.

Nick chuckles, shaking Tony's hand. "Clever bot. I think you'll sell just fine."

"Wicked." Tony grins, full of living charm.

"Mind if we power you down again, Tony? The Director needs to talk to each of you."

"Aw..."

"Surveillance is getting it, you'll be able to watch the footage."

He brightens again. "Okay. Night." He closes his eyes and Phil reaches around and switches him off.

"He's got a lot of character, sir. I think it's from the necessary processing upgrades."

Nick nods. "We'll see. What have you named this one?" It's one of Phil's nicest faces, Nick decides, and definitely an unassuming body. Even in repose the second unit looks sort of diffident and friendly.

"This is Bruce." Phil switches him on. "Good morning, Bruce."

"Hi, Phil. Oh, are you Director Fury?"

"I am." He shakes Bruce's hand, too. He'll shake with all of them, because it's important to him. They're not quite people, but they're not fucking toasters, either, and he respects them.

"Pleased to meet you."

"What are your functions, Bruce?"

"Well, like all SHIELD humanoid constructs I can perform almost any task a human can, but I'm specialized for home medical care, childcare, and defense, for which I must assume my auxiliary form."

"Care to demonstrate?"

"Certainly, Director." He steps off of his charging stand, and puts a bit of distance between them. "Phil?"

"Hulk protocol."

Phil has a habit of hiding useful little nanobots in their various constructs, but Bruce has more than Fury has ever seen him use. They form a bulky green armor around the unit that doesn't seem to reduce speed or agility at all and that turns out to be hard enough to crush diamond.

"Any danger of that coming online of its own accord?"

"None that I know of, and the injunction against harming children is in the hardware. Give me a little credit."

Nick laughs. "Fair enough. All right, Bruce, time to go offline again."

"Yes, sir." He switches back and goes back to his stand, stealing a shy glance at Tony before Phil presses the nape of his neck, making his head drop back into resting position.

The next model is huge compared to the other two, with long blonde hair that makes him look like a Viking. Phil smiles. "This is Thor. Thor is... special." He switches Thor on.

"GOOD MORROW, SON OF COUL!"

"His speech processors are stuck like this, don't ask. But, I'm proud as hell of him."

"Thank you," Thor says, smiling sweetly.

"Thor is pretty much the perfect frontline model. He's a powerful fighter who can also serve as a medic and/or a power generator."

Thor preens a little at this, and Nick has to smile. "Well, that is a pretty good array of uses. Think you could accompany a research team, Thor?"

"I enjoy the idea of exploration, Director." He beams, and takes Nick's hand when he offers it. "Shall I demonstrate my capabilities?"

Phil cuts in before Nick can say anything. "We don't have time to get the protective gear, Thor. Don't worry, you'll have a chance to show him later."

"Very well." He bows his head so Phil can stand up on tiptoe to reach his switch.

Next to Thor is another small model like Tony and Bruce, but more thickly built, heavy and lithe at once. Phil strokes the android's stiff, close-cropped hair, smiling softly. "This is Clint." His hand continues back and down to the switch, and is resting on Clint's shoulder when he raises his head and smiles softly. "Hey, Phil."

"Hey." He steps back. "Director Fury has come down to talk to you."

"Hello, sir." He stands at attention, blue eyes focused, and seems surprised when Fury shakes hands.

"And what are your specific functions?"

"Surveillance, tracking, and calculating trajectories, sir."

"I see."

"His vision is extraordinary, if I say so myself, and he can watch for days without a REM cycle."

Nick nods. "Very good." He's surprised at the sudden, sunny way the unit grins at him, and smiles back as Phil switches Clint off.

The next one is the only female of this set, to balance out the last one which had consisted of Jane (research and exploration), Pepper (a PA/executive that remains their best seller so far), Darcy (a simple little companion/pet model that had unexpectedly taken off), Maria (an excellent guardbot of whom SHIELD has several for its own security), Peggy (a favorite bodyguard model for women, since she's a combat bot who can do makeup), and Justin (another pet model that has proven cute enough to make up for comparatively low processing power.)

"Natasha's strength is versatility," Phil says, switching her on. She blinks once, with her long lashes.

"Hello, Director." She sounds sweet, almost childlike.

"To accommodate the others her base personality has to be flexible."

"I see. Natasha, what can you do?"

"I can be anyone you want me to be, Director. My current mode would make a good pet and/or menial, but I have lethal capabilities, culinary ones, sexual ones, aesthetic ones..." She shrugs and smiles.

He can't help but smile back, offering her his hand, which she takes easily, well-programmed for social interaction. "Well, Natasha, we've been needing a gynoid for all seasons, and I think you'll do just fine."

"Thank you," she says, and Phil switches her off, stroking her red hair.

"I've had to be very careful," Phil says, "to limit her in some key directions. No one can make her an assassin or espionage droid, and there's a failsafe to prevent emotional damage to the base personality."

Nick nods. "That's why you're the best in the business, Phil." The last model is another tall blonde, and Phil touches this one with even more reverent affection than the others.

"This is Steve," he says, and switches Steve on.

"Wha- oh, hey, Phil!" It's the most organic startup sequence than Nick has ever seen. Steve even smiles a little fuzzily, as if he has been asleep. "And you must be Director Fury." He's the one who reaches out to shake Nick's hand. Nick just blinks and takes it.

"I am. Pleased to meet you, Steve."

"Are you here to ask about my functions? Because I'm kinda nervous, I don't know if my proprioception is fully online yet."

"Last-minute changes to the body," Phil explains, "he wasn't always this big."

"I'm getting used to it, though. When I do, Phil says I'll make a good soldier or personal trainer, and I can be a nursebot with just one information patch."

"I see. You've got a lot of personality, Steve."

"I'm based on a superhero." He beams, and Phil facepalms, red with embarrassment.

Nick grins, realization dawning. "Hey, wasn't Captain America's real name-"

"Steve Rogers." Steve is still smiling, and Phil has to smile back.

"That's right, Steve."

"You're a dork, Phil," Nick says.

"I know." He grins up at Steve, and pats his shoulder. "Anyway, it's late, I'm gonna power you off again."

"Okay. Good night, Director. Phil." He nods and then stays nodded as Phil hits the switch. All in all, Nick thinks this is a good batch.


End file.
